The Red Sox will renew their rivalry with the New York Yankees Friday night as they send Franklin Morales to the mound against Phil Hughes. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. EST with broadcasts on NESN, the MLB Network, and WEEI.
Jacoby Ellsbury will be back in center field after taking a day at DH Thursday night. Ellsbury has been dealing with a mysterious leg issue, but it's apparently not serious enough to keep him out of the field for more than a day, so it's unlikely that it's anything to be seriously concerned about.
The Sox will take the opportunity to keep both Cody Ross and Scott Podsednik in the lineup, slotting Ross in as the DH and putting Podsednik in right field. The latter will bat eighth ahead of Pedro Ciriaco, getting his turn at the revolving door that is third base.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have a lineup that does not pack the same punch as usual. Alex Rodriguez has been out for a while now with a broken hand, and with Mark Teixeira out as well, dealing with a sore wrist, the Yankees will turn to Robinson Cano and Andruw Jones at 3-4.
Boston Red Sox (58-61)
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
- Cody Ross, DH
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
- Mike Aviles, SS
- Scott Podsednik, RF
- Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
New York Yankees (70-48)
- Derek Jeter, DH
- Nick Swisher, 1B
- Robinson Cano, 2B
- Andruw Jones, RF
- Casey McGehee, 3B
- Curtis Granderson, CF
- Russell Martin, C
- Jayson Nix, SS
- Ichiro Suzuki, LF
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